About Us

We specialize in analyzing policy questions that most affect urban areas, often using the Charlotte area as our research laboratory. Our Ph.D. students specialize in urban policy, social policy, economic policy, education policy, and environmental policy, just to name a few.

Kristin Wells

What are your best memories about being a graduate student in the PPOL graduate program?

My best memory would be the stimulating discussions in the classrooms on various policy topics.

What are the top 3 things you took away from the PPOL program?

A PhD

What advice would you give new students about how to succeed in graduate school?

One word of practical advice - from the start, invest in a bibliography tracking program (such as EndNote), and start entering ANYTHING you read, for class papers or research, that is related to your dissertation topic. That way, when you go to write the disseration your bliography will already in electronic form, for easy insertion to the text.